Singing Soldiers
The intramural hate wars here in Israel and the media's/politician's/army's use of the age-old cheapest way to seek popularity is so ridiculous that it's beyond disgusting. I'd really be laughing if it weren't my people and my nation. Like the old Israeli joke says, the imbecile child would be amusing if he weren't my child...
You'd think that the Chief of Staff of the IDF would be preoccupied with Iran's imminent nuclear weapon, long range missile tests and Iranian war games in the Persian Gulf, unrest in Syria, Hezbulla's tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel, the tons of weapons from Libya and Egypt pouring into Gaza every day, El Qaida's virtual control over Sinai, the Egyptian border's breach that enables thousands of African illegals to enter Israel every week (a human time bomb in itself), the repeated blowing up of the Egypt-Israel gas line, the Moslem brotherhood's takeover in Egypt, just to name a few of our minor security challenges...
No, none of the above makes headlines in Israel or tops the Chief of Staff's list of priorities. According to our fearless leaders, the nation's security depends on G-d fearing soldiers being forced to sit through inane ceremonies while female soldiers sing. Major General Benny Gantz has solved all of the above security challenges, and now concentrates on the women-soldiers' singing as a daily obsession lately.
Just to set the record straight, the Gemara (Kiddushin 70a, Berachot 24a, Yerushalmi Challa 12b) and Halacha (Chayei Adam, First Section, 4:6) calls the singing voice of a woman, erva, or something forbidden for a man to hear. The Torah warns that an army camp should be free of any erva, something impure or forbidden, lest the Divine Presence depart from our midst. King David was so careful about maintaining the purity of the Israelite military camp that if a soldier spoke between putting on his arm tefillin and head tefillin, he got kicked out of the army.
My suggestion to our soldiers is not to protest the army's silly ceremonies by walking out. Either sleep through the ceremony like everyone else does or read a book. Put a pair of artilleryman's earplugs in your ears - it's our responsibility to guard our eyes and ears. Meanwhile, just continue being the best soldiers in the army.
The media hasn't told people that the Nachal Charedi has outperformed the IDF's best units in infantry competitions, particularly sharpshooting.
It's not enough to be right. One must be smart as well. Being smart means not playing into the hands of those who are looking for legitimacy to fan the fires of hatred against Hashem's faithful. We must have pity on those who are so far away from emuna and the truth. Let's just smile back at them and win their hearts. Deep down, all of people are really special. Nobody ever made teshuva by having a rock thrown at him.
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